Machine for manufacturing steel studding.



4:. WIET.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STEEL ST UDDING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 30, 192- 1 ,141,595. Patented June 1, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l- WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

THE N099"? PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTDN. D. C

v E. WIET. MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STEEL STUDDING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 30, I912- I 1,141,595. Patented June 1, 1915.

5 SHEETS-$HEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS THE NORkls PETERS CO.,PHO7D-LITHO.. WASHING rcN, D. c.

E. WIET.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STEEL STUDDING.

APPLICATION HLED OCT- 30. 1912.

1 1 4 1 ,595 Patented June 1, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3; I w 03 J l WITNESSES INVENTOR BY I v r I ATTORNEYS ms NORRISPETERS C0,, PHO1D-LITHO WASHINGTON, D. C. I

E. WIET.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STEEL STUDDING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, 1912.

1,141,595. Ratented'June 1, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- WITNESSES I a INVENTOR ATT0RNEY6.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTOALITHOJ WASHINGTON. D. r:

B WIEL MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STEEL STUDDING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, 1912.

1 ,141,595. Patented June 1, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEETfi.

WlTN ESSES @m 5 W M ATTORNEY 6.

INVENTOR THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. c.

TENQITED "srA'rEs PAT NT oF rca.

EUGENE wrEr; F sA FRANCISCO, cALIFoRNIA, AssIeNon 'I'O PARROT!!! & COMPANY, OF MAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 0F CALIFORNIA.

. To all whomoit may concern:

ACH NE FoE' MANUFACTURING STEEL s'rUDEING.

Be it known that I EUGENE WIET, acitizen of the United States, anda resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Manufacfturing Steel studding, of which .the following is a specification. a .The objects of the invention are to comblne in one ma chlne coo'rdlnated, synchronized, cooperative mechanisms adapted to automatically or semiautomatically produce 'finished interlocking steel studding or the like from the raw'material,

fiAnother object is. to produce a novel feeding mechanism adapted to feed parallel .strips of material at perfectly registered speed throughout their travel.

A further object is to so arrange tliecombination offunctional elements in the machine and socoordinate their action and ad-- justmentthat a wide range of products and sizcsof products may be produced by the machine.

The invention possesses other advantageous features which with the foregoing w1ll beset forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline. in fullthat jform of invention. selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification.

V The novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding saiddescription. From this, it will be apparent that I do not restrict myself to the showing made by said drawings and description, as Imay adopt many variations within the scope of 2 my invention as expressed in said-claims.

This machine is designed primarily to produce what is known in the trade as Collins interlocking steel studding and suspended ceiling construction, and is illustratedand will be described in the production of this particular type of structure. I do not wish, however, to be confined to this: specific type of product in the interpretation of the scope of myinvention.

' "Ihe'novel combination of elements of this machine with certain modifications in the structure or operation would lend itself to the production of otherlike products with- .out departing from the spirit of this invention as defined in the claims.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' First notching and feeding the strips as hereinafter described is the dominating ele- Patented June l, 1915. "Application filed October 30, 1912. Serial No. 728,680.

ment in the operation of. this machine; the.

succeeding actions may be performed manually orm varlous ways.

In thev drawmgs: Figures. 1,' 2 and shouldbe read from right to left to give a connected diagramic elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with this lnventlon. Fig. 1 is a slde elevation of the notching press and the feeding mechanism.

Fig. 2.is a side elevation of the cutting oif press, the channeling or flanging press and the tie clip placer. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tie clip .clenching press and the ejector. Fig.4 is a detail side elevation of the notching die. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view from above of the same, partially broken away to disclose the die plate. Fig.j 6 is a detail side elevation of the cutting off dies and supporting guides. Fig. 7 isan end elevation of thesame. Fig. 8 is .a detail side elevation of the synchronizing tripping mechanism of the cutting off press. Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the machine in front of thechanneling dies at IXIX. Fig. 1.0 is a fragmentary perspective view of a section of studding installed fora wall. Fig. 1-1 is a fragmentary detail showing the tie clip assembled across the channel strips. Fig. 12 is a detail in side elevation of the tie clip feeding mechanism.

In detail the construction consists of the reel base 1 having the rollers 2, .upon which the reels ofband steel '3 are supported. The ends of the band steel hereinafter called the strips 5are passed under the spring mounted rollers 6 which exert suflicient pressure to prevent the strips from backing up, or rising from the runways between these rollers.

The ends of the strips are passed between .the punches 7 and dies 8 that are mounted on the carrier 9.

mechanism 12 splined upon the main drive shaft 13 thatis rotated by the loose pulley 14 belted to the prime mover not shown).

fiXed therein." This pin reciprocates in the slot 18 in the sector .19 that is'pivoted at 20 The notching press A is" started by throwing over to the right the 1 starting lever 11 that is linked to theclutch to the foundation 21 of the machine. The rack segment; 22 fixed'upon the sector is enmeshed with the pinion 23 formed upon the gear 24:. This gear is enmeshed with the rack bar 25 fixed upon the feed rods 26.

These feed rods extend onboth sides approximately the full length of the machine and are guided by the brackets 27 fixed to the runways 28. -These runways are supported by pillars resting upon the foundation 21. r V r Y The carrier 9 rests lightly upon the bed j "of thefpress A and is slidably-mounted upon v the rods 2fibythelegs 29 engaging the rods. The collars 30 are fixed upon the feed rods "between the legs 29'. The rotation of the gear 16 acting through the pin and slot-enga'gement with the sector 19 cause'sgthe'rack to move forward. Theinterval between the zo' collars '30 andtheir abutment with the contiguous leg 29 permits a dwell interval -be- -forethe carriage starts'forward. V This dwell allows-the pin 31 fixed upon'the drive shaft to engage the trip 33 pivoted to the clutch 25' rod 32 throwing the clutch mechanism 34 of the press into engagement with the clutch 'fjaw on the fly wheel 35 that is belted to the constantlyrotating line shaft 36. The en- ;gagement of this clutch mechanism M'ca'uses if se en 'actijonof the press downward forcing the notching dies through the body of the strips 5 forming notches on the opposite edgesof both strips. "A downward action of the dies carries the latch 37 pivotedon'the cross bar 851 38 downward into engagement with the pin 39 fixed on the-carrier 9'. The return of the i breast beam of the press leaves thepunches '-,*engaged in the edges of the metal strips.

" 7 The dwell interval having now passed, the

40 collars 30engagethe legs'of-the carrier and ca ry it forward "the predetermined distance between the cross tie clipsAEO, in this instance 24 inches; 2 w

For convenience of description, presume .46 that the machinehas been adjusted to form studding composed" of two parallel strips 7 r with cross tie clips fixed at 24 inch centers, the first tie being set three inches from the i front end andthe lastone three inches from j the rear end; At the limit of the forward I movement of the-carrier, the pin ll mounted on therun Way 28 forces the dog 37 out of Y engagement with the pinL39 which permits -thegcompressed springs l2 under the bar 38 "to withdraw the" punches from engagement with the strips 5. The continued rotation of the gear 16 restores the sector and the carrier actuated thereby to the normal position with the notching dies beneath. the

rcobreast beam 43. of the notching' press A.

The action thus described has carried the 1 :strips forward 24 inches and reset the notch-' V ing dies for, the succeeding set of notches.

. l lheclutch mechanism 12 being still. in en lhgagement, the "operation is repeated, the

' the notching' dies.

notching .dies descending, locking, moving of thecuttin'g press are determined by the "number of'cross tiedclips to be fixed inthe completed'length of studding.

The *not'chingpress continues to operate 'in the "manner, described until the notched strip is forced forwardbeneath theflangi-ng or channeling-dies 46 and47 of the'ch'annel 13 in the manner hereinafter morev spe- 'cifically described. The-numberfof actions ingpress' C. The clutch xmechan'i'sm ofthis" press C is 'operated by' a trip mechanism, actuated by the dr iv-ingshaft in the manner described. Itisthefunction of the pressC to flange up the edges of; the strips at right angles changing the-notchesjl from' the horizontal to the vertical-planer: I

The strips are forced beneath "the claim neling dies which continuetoroperate, converting the strips into channels as they pass through the press C5 Passing. from the i press '0', the first'notch formed in the strip receives a crossctie from the tie placing fmechanism hereinafter described in 3 detail,

This tie clip is engaged bythepawl48 piv 26. The notchPdies" and thefpawl 48"both I being mounted on the feed *rod '26,;act in unison at all times. When the last predetermined notch'fhas passed intothe cutting} oft press B, the strip is 'severedlby the cutting die'50 three inches from the las't notch, the.

diebeinglset according to the scale45. The reciprocation fof 1 the. feed rods 26 actuating "the 'paw148continues to feedthe channeled stripsforward atregular interval's.

Between the channeling press 0 and the V clenchingpressD, the cross tiefeed inechanism E 'isintroduced, It isth'e function of V thisfmechanismto-dropthe angularnotched 7 cross tie'clips 40 'into thenotchestl formed in the stripsthat arekeptinperfect register throughouttheir travel bythe peculiar'man nerjof feeding them1forward by means 'of Thetie clip placing mechanism consists of thechute orhop ersei in which the clips are placed, nested together'withtheir apexes I if :njp. Thelower edge of-one side of the hop- 'per is turned in to" form the flange-53 upon head. of this escapenientpawl" is 1 provided i which one edge oftheinethermost, clip restsfi 1 The oppositeedge ofth'i'siclip isengaged by; the lescapementpawl; pivoted at .54.; The,

with the notch 55 adapted to engage and support theedge of the nethermost clip until the pendulum of the pawl is engaged by the rests upon the headof the pawl until the lower clip is dropped and the notch 55 immediately returned to normal position by the action of the counter-weight 58. The pendulum is provided with the hinged strike plate 59 adapted to clear the cam 56 without tripping the pawl. It is obvious that other ways of placing the clips may be used.

After the cross ties drop into the notches as the channels pass beneath the feeding mechanism E, they are carried forward and clenched in positive engagement with the notches by the down stroke of the clenching die 98 operated by the press D. The clutch mechanism of thepress D is actuated by a trip mechanism similar to that of the presses A, B and C, and is timed to operate during the .dwell before described in connection with the operation of the notching press.

Passing from the press D, the inserted tie clips are successively engaged by the pawl 51 pivoted to the bracket 52 that is fixed on the feed rod 26. This latter pawl acting in unison with the pawl 46 and the primary feeding mechanism engages each successive ti'e clip and acts as an ejector by engaging the last clip in the completed studding that is forced from the machine thereby.

The starting lever 11 is pivoted at 60 to the base of the pillar of the runway and linked to the clutch 12 of the synchronizing mechanism. The lever is locked in position by the pivoted latch 61. This latch is tripped out of engagement with the lever 11 by the pin62 fixed in the slide bar 63 tripped by the swing lever 64. This lever is provided with a weight 65 on one side of its fulcrum, the opposite end beinglinked to the pin 66. The lever 64 and the pin 66 are duplicated for each runway of the'machine, whereby the failure of any strip would permit the pin controlled by that strip to rise, causing the lever attached thereto to drive against head 67 of'the slide bar 63 extended C and D, and their clutch mechanisms, will be omitted as not germane to this invention. The conventional types of these machines are available in the practice of this invention, the particular functioning residing within the dies operated by these presses, and the synchronizing mechanism coordinating the several machines into a working combination.

The presses are all actuated by the line shaft 36 which is constant running, the fiy wheels of the press running idle until the clutch is engaged therewith.

Various manners of operating the clutch mechanisms from the actuating shaft 13 are also possible. That shown in connection with A, B, C and D consists of pins 31 fixed upon the actuating shaft and thrown into contact with the clutch setting mechanism 33 by the rotation of the shaft 13.

The synchronizing mechanism of the cutting press B is actuated bythe eccentric 70 fixed upon the shaft 13 and engaged by the eccentric band 71 having the connecting arm 72 pivoted at 73 to the slide bar 74: guided in the blocks .75 fixed upon the base 21 of the machine. The spring pawl 76 is pivoted at 77 on the slide bar and held in normal position by the spring 78. The head of the pawl engages the pins 79 extending from the face of the disk 80 pivoted at 81 to the bracket 82 fixed to the base 21 of the machine.

The operation of the eccentric causes reciprocation of the slide bar, causing the pawl 76 to engage the pins and rotate the disk 80; the pawl pulling forward on the pins on the forward movement and springing down'and passing under on'the reverse movement in an obvious manner. The vdetent roller 83 journaled in the spring bracket 84: fixed to the base 85 drops between the pins on the disk to prevent reverse motion. The opposite side of the disk is provided with one ormore pins 86 adapted to engage the trip 33 of the clutch mechanism throwing it into operation, causing the press to perform its function.

The number of pins in the disk corresponds to the number of cross die clips or notches formed in the studding, this number being determined, of course, by the height of the ceiling, or other architectural specifications of the studding,-it being the purpose to operate the cutting off press once for each section of studding produced. There are two cutting off dies so as to simultaneously sever the strips for the terminal end of the first section of studding and the front end of the succeeding section of studding. These distances are fixed by the scale 45 as described.

The disks 80 are easily substituted when changes in the specifications of the studding call for more or fewer clips. A set of enshaft of the press, into engagement with the free running fly wheel '35, the clutch jaw meshed timing gears may be substituted for the construction just described. The'former is preferred because of its ready adjustmentand its cheapness in construction and operation, the character of the machine/being considered. 7

The clutch mechanisms of the presses A,

B, C and D previously described in general terms are constructed substantially as fol- "lows: The pins 31 are fixed in an adjustably fixed sleeve 88 on the drive shaft 13. The rotation of this shaft brings these pins into contact with the trip 33 connected to the rod 32, which throws the yoke 89 controlling the clutch collar 34, splined on the crank causing the latter to carry the press through one action down and return. The action of each press modifies the product in accordance with the forming dies operated by that particular press in action. The action of the various presses is timed by the set position of the pins'31 which coordinate or synchronizethe actions of the combined presses.

As illustrated, the cutting off press B operates once to every twelve actions of the punching and feeding press A.- Both are driven by the same shaft 13. A is tripped bythe pin 86 once every revolution ofthe shaft, while B is tripped every 12revolu tions as determined by the number of pins in thedisk 80. Thus, every revolution of the disk one complete six tie studding is formed. Y )7 1 The action of the cutting dies removes a length from the strips between two clips leaving a'gap. The following end must be guidedion the horizontal plane in passing between the cutting off dies as'a gap is necessary in the runways 28. 1 bridged over by the rods 92 suspended by g L This gap 1 the'brackets 93 attached to the cutting die holders at 94:. These rods aline with the runwayswhen the dies are in normal posivtion and guide the strips across thegap necessitated by the cutting off dies. The rods 92 are carried. downward by the stroke of the cutting dies, the severed pieces of strip dropping out of the machine. These odd lengths of strip are converted. into tie clips vtominimize waste of material.

Various lengths of rods 92 arenecessary to meet the demands ofthe specifications of the studding. Sections of the runways 28 are inserted on each outer side of the cutting ofl' dies to complete the runways across" the press B The moving of the pin 17 toward the center of the gear 16 by rotating the running screw 95 engaged therewith, the stroke of the sector 19 is shortened, consequently the movement of the feed rods 26 isshortened and the distance between'the notches short-' ened,o'r vice versa; The pin 411 is also adjusted to release the as a the p'rqper time.

This readjustment to meet changes in the distance between notches requires consistent adjustment of the'cutting dies in press '13, the length of the] scale 45 sufiicing for The architectural standards in stu'dding; channeling dies 46 and'47 also' are long enough to operate properly irrespective of' the distance between notches: jBut the clenchingpress D'must be adjusted to correspond with the exact advance of the feed rods 26. llZith-this adjustment in View, the

press D is mounted upon the horizontal bars i 96 attached by theblocks 97 'tothe' 'founda' tion 21. Loosening the clamps 97 permits the press tobe adjusted longitudinally to match the feed of the notching'dies. The

brackets 49 and 52 are slidable on the feed' if rods for. the purposes of accommodation in r adjustments. 3

The down stroke 'of the press D forces the die 98} against the apex of the angular tie clip 40 forcing it fiat, the notches 99 in the plate engaging the upstanding flanges" of:

the channel within the notched edges- 51 thereof, rigidly attaching the parallel channels together'at eachnotched interval. More than twochannels can thus be tiedgtogether by duplicating the capacity of the. machine, and lengthening thetie platek Thus ajssembled and coordinated, a working combin tion between the various elements of the machine is attained. It is obviousthatone 1 ormo're'elements might be omitted oradded product.

in the art. I

what isclaimed and desired to befsecured by Letters Patent iszj s r 1...Afstudding machine comprising a notching press, a cuttingoff press, clutch mechanisms on both offs'ai'd presses, a 'channeling press, a clip placing mechanism and a clip clenching press, in combination with a synchronizing.mechanism geared to the 116 said clutch mechanisms of said presses, and a reciprocating feed mechamsm geared to said synchronizing. -mechan1sm, notchlng dies operated by'said notching press adapted to be "forced through I and engage strips of c.

studding material and move forward with the feed mechanismwhenso; engaged, to disengage from sald'str ps'and'returh wlth said feed mechanism leavingsaid strip advanced, the actions of all ofsaid elements being synchronized andf coordinated with the action of said notching dies.

2. A s'tudding machine comprising a holder for contmuousreels of studding strip, runways for said strips, notching dies,

means for" forcing-said diesth 'rough said 1O controlled by sald synchronizing mechanism,

strips a reciprocating feed mechanism engaging said dies, means for disengaging.

actions of said dies and the feeding mecha nism at predetermined intervals, a cutting ofi mechanism for said strips controlled by saidsynchronizing mechanism, a channeling mechanism engaging said strips at intervals a feed pawlfixed on the feeding mechanism and engaging the notches formed by the notching dies, a tie placing'mechams'm controlled by the feed mechanism, a clenching die acting on said ties and the said strips at intervals determined by the synchronizing mechanism, and an ejecting pawl fixed on the feeding mechanism and engaging the successive notches formed by the notching dies. i

3. A studding machine comprising a runway, a notching means, a channelingmeans and a tie clenching means interposed in said runway, means for advancing the material being operated on from one means to the other, a'driving means, and means for synchronizing the actions of the above recited means. 7

4. A studding machine comprising a runway, a notching means, a cutting off means,

' a channeling means; and a tie clenching means interposed in said runway, means associated with the notching means for ad vancing the material being operated on from one means to the other, a driving means, and means for synchronizing the actions of the above recited means. V

5. A studding machine comprising a runway, a notching means, a cutting oifmeans, a channeling means and a tie clenching means interposed in said runway, a tieplacing means adjacent to said runway, means associated with the notching means for advancing the material being operated on from one means to the other, a driving means, and means for synchronizing the actions of the above recited means.

6. A studding machine comprising a runway, means for notching a metal strip arranged adjacent said runway, means for clenching a tie to said notched strip, a strip feeding means cooperating with said runway and means for driving said means.

7. In a studding machine, a runway, a notching means adapted to engage a strip on said runway and means for moving said notching means in the direction of the length of the runway while said notching means is engaged with said strip.

8. A studding machine comprising a notching press, notching dies operated by said press, a carrier for said dies having legs slidably mounted upon reciprocating rods, a collar fixed upon said rods between the legs of thecarrier, the collar being narrower than the space between said legs, and a rack bar fixed on said rods and enmeshed with a driving pinion geared to a reversing drive mechanism.

9. In a studding machine a feed mechanism comprising a set of notching dies adapted to lock into the material to be fed, a carrier for said dies slidably engaging feed rods with toothed engagement with a driving gear actuated by a pivoted sector having a slot and pin engagement, with a driving gear, and means for disengaging at the proper time said dies from the material to be fed.

10. In a studding machine a feed mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a bevel pinion fixed upon a driving shaft, a bevel gear enmeshed with the pinion, a pin adjustably fixed insaid gear, a pivoted sector having a slot engaging said pin, a rack seg ment fixed on said sector enmeshed with a spur gear enmeshed with a rack on the feed rod, a collar fixed upon said rod, a carriage slidable on said rod engaging said collar, a press and dies mounted upon said carriage and operated by a press.

' 11. Inastudding machinearunway,asetof notching dies adapted to punch through and carry forward studding strips, release said strips and move back with the feed mechanism and repeat the operation with said strips, cutting off dies, channeling dies, tie placing and clenching mechanisms interposed in the said runway in the path of the said strips, and a synchronizing mechanism coordinating the actions of said feed mechanism and the notching dies.

12. In a studding machine a runway for studding strips, a feeding mechanism comprising notching dies attached to the feed 'ing mechanism and adapted to punch through and advance a plurality of studding strips in positive reglster, a plurality of cutting off dies in the path of said strips, adapted to be set independent distances from said notching dies, and a synchronizing mechanism interposed between said punching and cutting oif dies.

13. In a studding machine a punching and feeding mechanism for studding strips operated by a synchronizing mechanism, a cutting off mechanism, a coordinating mechanism for the said cutting off mechanism consisting of an eccentric fixed upon the drive shaft of the synchronizing mechanism, and linked to a reciprocating slide bar, a spring pawl pivoted on said slide bar, a disk journaled adjacent to said slide bar and having pins interposed in the path of said pawl, a projection on said disk, a clutch trip on said cutting off mechanism interposed in the disk.

path of said projection on the I set of straightening'rolls cooperating with Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Bat eats, Washington, D. 0.", 1 V

Way, a reel holder for the studdi'n'gstrip, a

said runway for said strip, and a stop mechanism controllingthe feed mechanism consisting ofa pin passing throughisaid run way between said straightening rolls and normally held inoperative by said strips.

15. In a studding machine, stock notchingdies comprising die plates and punches,

a latch attached to said punches adapted to engage and hold said die plates atthe'end of the downstroke of the punches, means for" moving said diestransverselya predetermined distance and means arranged in,

the path of said latch for releasing the latch at the end of its transverse movement.

16. In a studding machine, a runway for the studding stock, a press arranged in op erative relation with said runway, cutting dies mounted in said press, means for adjusting said dies independently and transrelation with said press and adapted to feed the stock in a ste by step movement.

17. In a stud'ding machine, a'runway for for studdingstrips, a stop mechanism com prising pins pro ecting through the said runways for the .studdings'trips and normally held in operationby said strips," a

starting lever linked to the main clutch of said synchronizing mechanism, and a vlatch for said starting lever, and a weightedflever linked to said pins and said'latch' In testimony Whereof,'I have hereunto set my hand at the city and countyof San Francisco, this 17th day "of October, 1912.;

In presence 'of v BALDWIN VALE, -FREDK W. SPENCER.

GENE I T'; 

